The wife of the President, Stella Obasanjo, has dragged the Independent Communication Network Limited, publishers of The News magazine, to an Abuja High Court, claiming N1 billion damages for alleged libel published by the news magazine, reports Nigeria Media Monitor. In her statement, Mrs.Obasanjo said the publication in the magazine issue of October 27, alleging that she got a contract from Comite des Jeux Africains (COJA) officials for the furnishing of the Games Village was "based entirely on speculation, unfounded and unsubstantiated allegations."

Government efforts to stifle peaceful public protest during the week once again found support from the media it controls - the Zimbabwean Broadcasting Authority - which censored the violent nature of the police crackdown on nationwide street protests organized by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions and supported by civil society groups, according to the Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe in its latest review.

This background paper from the IDS "Biotechnology and the policy process in developing countries" project examines the perspectives and participation in agricultural biotechnologies projects of resource-poor farmers in the Wedza district of Zimbabwe. Farmers in this region are faced with tremendous farming challenges that are adversely impacting on their livelihoods

Africa has given birth to her own Linux distribution, Impi Linux, free for all at the Linux website. It was not an easy birth. Two years and two false births, Impi Linux was finally born to South Africa's Gauteng Linux Users Group, www.glug.org.za. Impi is the Zulu word for 'a group of warriors' and Impi Linux is one with a host of proven open source software.

MIGRANT.NEWS informs you on issues of international migration, treatment of migrants, and protection of the human rights of migrants. Contact [email protected] for more information.

WOUGNET Update Newsletter is a monthly electronic newsletter from Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET). To subscribe/unsubscribe to the WOUGNET Update Newsletter, send a message to [email protected] with the following command in the subject or body of your message: subscribe/unsubscribe.

Successful collaboration, whether online or in person, depends on good team dynamics. The facilitator plays a key role, and careful planning is necessary. Internet-based group collaboration tools range from simple e-mail to sophisticated multimedia environments. This guide provides tips on how to build online communities through the use of web and email technologies.

In recent years, a number of interesting experiments have been initiated to extend low-cost telephone and, in some cases, internet access to low-income rural communities. This paper reviews some of these, with a particular emphasis on whether they are likely to prove financially sustainable.

After becoming the first country in the region to adopt an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) policy, Tanzania has embarked on concerted efforts to devise strategies to implement the blueprint which principally deploys a broad-based strategy to address the national development agenda.

In a rather peculiar way, Botswana has been sharply put in the spotlight by the greenhorn-South Africa - in her ‘shoddy’ treatment of indigenous knowledge systems (IKS), and its holders. This emerged at a three-day workshop on intellectual property rights and indigenous knowledge systems.

Zambia launched its first draft Information Communication Technologies (ICT) policy at the national ICT conference organised by OneWorld Africa held on 27th-28th November 2003.

The Centre for Civil Society's online discussion forum welcomes the participation of everybody interested in African civil society. It is a forum for discussion and debate as well as the posting of articles, information and announcements of interest to people concerned with African civil society.

Community Information Network for Southern Africa (CINSA) portal/website is now live and online. This is to be the virtual meeting-place for the network members and any ICT practitioners. It is also a publishing space for community ICT knowledge workers to post their information and thus share it with others by contributing articles, best practices, reports, products and case studies.

INSTRAW News is an electronic newsletter that announces gender-focused forthcoming activities, forthcoming projects, opportunities and new publications.

BlogAfrica, a collaboration between Geekcorps, AllAfrica.com, the Berkman Centre and others, is intended to bring African and Africa-centric blogs closer to the forefront of the blogosphere. A catalogue of these blogs has begun. In coming months, volunteer-led instruction on blogging and free weblog hosting are planned. To get involved or add your Africa-related weblog to the list, please visit the site.

Thohoyandou Victim Empowerment Programme (TVEP) is inviting tender applications for the development of monitoring and evaluation tools and strategies.TVEP is an NPO striving to create an attitude of zero-tolerance towards rape and domestic violence in the Thulamela Municipality.

In this issue: The road to affordable, accessible medications; Activists warn that the FTAA will push medicine prices up; Clinton Foundation brokers new HIV/AIDS drugs deal; Maternal mortality: where do we stand? To subscribe or unsubscribe please email [email protected]

Nigeria will surrender ousted Liberian leader Charles Taylor to face a war crimes trial if Liberia asks, President Olusegun Obasanjo said Tuesday. Mr. Obasanjo's comments marked the first time he has publicly shown willingness to yield Mr. Taylor for trial.

The Post has asked for consent from State House to broadcast on Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) television part of President Levy Mwanawasa's speech in Mpika last week. Responding to State House principal private secretary Jack Kalala's press release of November 20, 2003 that President Mwanawasa's speech in Mpika was misrepresented by the newspaper, Post editor-in-chief Fred M'membe said the newspaper found no distortion in reporting that President Mwanawasa had said it would take four years to defend the 2001 presidential election petition case currently before the Supreme Court.

Reporters Without Borders has urged the Zimbabwean authorities to drop charges against 14 people who were arrested for circulating an e-mail message criticising President Mugabe's economic policies and calling for his departure. They were all released on bail but have been ordered to appear in court on 26 November.